Sporting Contribution - Higher Education Institutions

This award recognises a project or initiative in which college and higher education institutions have utilised Glasgow 2014 and its legacy goals to make a significant contribution or substantial difference in sport, sporting performance or activity levels.

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Gold

Robert Gordon University – Aberdeen Youth Games

The Aberdeen Youth Games is an exciting and innovative citywide sport and culture programme developed in partnership between Robert Gordon University (RGU) and Sport Aberdeen, which aims to promote physical activity and global citizenship amongst a generation of young people in Aberdeen. The project celebrates and builds upon the success of the Active Schools Programme in increasing sport, physical activity and volunteering across the city.

The 2014 event will celebrate the culture and sport associated with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and has a number of opportunities for the Aberdeen community to get involved including a baton design and relay, and international projects.

Second Year BSc (Hons) Applied Sport and Exercise Science students from RGU have received training to deliver netball, badminton and athletics coaching during their four week schools placement in April and May. Each school will also be assigned a Commonwealth country, and pupils will be educated on it by the students. The final event, which will be held on Friday, May 16, will involve up to 1,500 primary school pupils from across the city. They will compete in the three sports they have received coaching for and have the opportunity to try and observe ten further sports.

Silver

The Glasgow School of Art – Glasgow School of Art Sports Association

The Glasgow School of Art Sports Association is a student-led initiative, which aims to bring back an active lifestyle to the school and community. After links were lost with Glasgow University Sports Association a group of students were inspired by the excitement of the Commonwealth Games to help promote and set up sports clubs within the school. Since the association was founded in September 2013, there are now 14 active clubs including; hockey, football, rugby, swimming, cycling, mountaineering, yoga, salsa, badminton, squash, tennis, skiing and snowboarding, jujitsu and karate. Each club is run and currently funded only by students. It is the contribution and thirst for sport from the student body of GSA and our twinned partners The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, which has been so encouraging. Recently, the first sports fair was held at The Art School, which promoted sport to a wider range of students and staff. This also has attracted more interesting clubs to form such as Kite Flying. The colours, logo and branding were also created from a competition put out to students in the school and with future support will be made into kit for each of the clubs.

Bronze

The University of Aberdeen – Learn to Swim

The University of Aberdeen is extremely excited and proud to be working with Aberdeen Sports Village on the opening of the Aquatics Centre in 2014. Combined with Glasgow 2014’s XX Commonwealth Games this will bring about a massive boost to the Sport of Swimming in Scotland and the North East itself. So to celebrate the inclusive nature of Swimming, the University of Aberdeen are offering students and staff the opportunity to learn to swim for free so they can benefit from this world class facility.

Lessons started in February this year and will continue over the next academic term accommodating over 280 people. Regular swimming has obvious health benefits and is also a lifelong skill that could save a life and is never too late to learn. With the focus on teaching non-swimmers how to swim, UOA Learn to Swim aims to get more people involved in swimming for health, fitness and fun.